{Book Review} Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch

It’s no big secret I’m a Kristen Welch groupie. If you follow either of my Facebookpages you know I share basically everything she writes with the hashtag #MustRead. I’ve been reading her blog for ever ….because she is equal parts hilarious and honest. And those are two of the most important qualities in a person as far as I’m concerned.

Also I want to be her BFF because she’s got a love for the Lord I want to be around all the time.

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World is, quite simply, a must read for moms who want any or all of the following:

to raise children who are world-changers

to create a home where the gratitude is part of the DNA

to be a mom who makes a real impact on her children’s lives now and in the future

to inspire her children to look more like Jesus

to invest in the eternal starting today

to live counter-culturally and raise kids who are confident to do the same

The chapter that totally kicked my butt and made me realize how many times I slip into an entitlement mindset with my girl is titled “Seven Ways We Parents Miss the Boat (And How to Get on Board).” Kristen says this,

As parents, I think it’s our duty to give our kids what they need — food, shelter, and love — and oftentimes, we are able to give them much more than that. But it’s in our nature to want to give them what we can’t provide: happiness. (51)

Um, yeah. My toes were black and blue. Because oh how I want my girl to be happy! Life is easier when she’s happy. {Seriously, teenage girls are hard enough when things are going their way but when they aren’t … yikes!} As I read through the chapter I realized how easy it is for me to make her happiness the measure of my success as a parent. And how ridiculous that is!

I loved chapter 8, “Gratitude Is a Choice.” Kristen gives such specific suggestions for how we can engage in gratitude training. Sometimes I just need someone to give me a list and get me started.

This book is full of practical ways to change the tone of our homes and, even more importantly, of our hearts. Every chapter concludes with a section called “Go Against the Flow.” In it, Kristen gives meaningful and realistic ideas for inspiring and encouraging our children to be more grateful. And I especially love that every time she starts with ideas for the parents. For example, in chapter 8 she offers these two truths for parents:

Without a doubt, the best way to teach gratitude is to model it.

Do your kids see you leaving a gratuity at restaurants and writing thank-you notes? How can we expect them to be grateful if we aren’t? (167)

I underlined and wrote in the margins on almost every page in this book. But without a doubt, this sentence is the one that most challenged, convicted, and inspired me:

Here’s the simple truth that isn’t so simple: Raising kids to be different from the world really does make them different from the world. (199)

So often we just want to fit in, to be the same. But we’re called to be different and we need to raise kids who are different. For our sakes and for theirs.

Honestly, I wish I could buy this book for every mom I know. It’s not an easy read … but it’s a necessary one. I wish I’d had it when Casiday was a newborn. But I have it now … and God is using Kristen’s words and her heart to speak to me. If you are only going to buy one book for yourself this year, make it Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World—because if we are awesome at everything else but we fail at raising kids who are truly grateful and see God as the true Giver of everything, have we really accomplished anything that matters?

Kristen, thank you, for sharing your journey and for being honest about how hard it is. This isn’t a “ten steps to a great kid” book and it doesn’t promise the path will be smooth; but it’s rich in biblical truth and it’s encouraging to know someone is on the path with us as we seek to raise kids who are light in this ever-darkening world.